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Was born in Fifeshire,
Scotland, on 7 September 1815, the son of William Stuart, a captain in the
army. He arrived in South Australia in 1838 where he entered the
government survey department. In 1844 he joined the expedition to the
centre of Australia led by Captain Charles Sturt (q.v.) as. draftsman and
gained invaluable experience. Little is known of his life during the next
14 years, but on 14 May 1858 Stuart with one companion and six horses made
an expedition to west of the Torrens Basin, a northerly course being taken
until 24 June. He then proceeded north-westerly until 11 July when a turn
was made to the south-west, and on 16 July Stuart turned back parallel
with his original course. A fair amount of good land was discovered, but
on taking a westerly course again Stuart found himself at Mount Finke on 8
August in "fearful country". Going almost due south, he passed through a
"dreary dreadful dismal desert of heavy sand hills and spinifex". When
Streaky Bay was reached on 21 August the explorers had been without food
for three days. On the following day they arrived at a station, and both
Stuart and his companion Forster became very ill from the effects of their
previous starvation. An enforced stay of nine days was made and then an
easterly course was taken until a station near Mount Arden was reached
north-east of Port Augusta. Stuart had travelled considerably over a
thousand miles. This expedition had been financed by William Finke, who
with James Chambers jointly provided the means for Stuart to go north
again. His diary does not give the strength of his party but three men are
mentioned, Miller, Hergott and Campbell, as being with him. Near Mount
Hamilton Stuart turned more to the north than in 1858. He reached near
latitude 27° and then finding that his horses' shoes were all fast wearing
out, decided to return and arrived at Glen's station near Termination Hill
on 3 July 1859. Stuart's third expedition set out on 4 November 1859 and
reached Lake Eyre two days later. Quite early in this journey Stuart had
great trouble with his eyes, on 12 November he mentions in his diary that
he is "almost blind". About the end of December a week was spent at
Freeling Springs, and some prospecting for gold was done without result
although some of the quartz looked promising. On 6 January 1860 as
provisions were running short he decided to return to Chambers Creek. Of
Kekwick one of the men with him Stuart said that he was "everything I
could wish a man to be". But he had great trouble with two other men who
wished to return to Adelaide.
On 2 March 1860 Stuart left
Chamber's Creek on his fourth journey. He had Kekwick and one other man
with him and 13 horses. By 13 April he had reached the McDonell Range and
on 22 April found that he was camped in the centre of Australia. A peak
about two and a half miles to the north-east was given the name of Central
Mount Sturt, afterwards called Central Mount Stuart, and on the following
day he ascended it and planted the British flag there. From there Stuart
travelled about 150 miles to the north-west, but had to retrace his steps
as he was suffering much from scurvy. The journey north was then continued
through the Murchison and McDonell ranges. On 26 June the party was
attacked by aborigines; Stuart reluctantly had to fire on them, and next
day finding his rations getting very low decided to return. Many
privations were endured and Kekwick became very ill, but they succeeded in
reaching Hamilton Springs on 26 August. After a few days' rest Stuart
arrived at Adelaide in October 1860. He had reached almost to the 18th
degree of south latitude and the South Australian parliament now voted
£2500 for the equipmerit of a larger and better organized expedition. It
left on 29 November, Stuart having William Kekwick as his second in
command and 10 other men. When they left Chambers Creek on 1 January 1861
the party consisted of 12 men and 49 horses. Marchant Springs on the Finke
was reached on 22 February, Hamilton Springs on 24 March, and Attack Creek
near the farthest point of the previous journey, on 25 April. On 4 May
they came to Sturt's Plain and during the next few weeks tried vainly to
find a good track to the north. In places the scrub was so dense it was
almost impenetrable. On 4 July Stuart was still hoping to reach the
Victoria, but on 12 July found himself forced to return as the men were
showing the effects of short rations. They crossed the Centre on 30 July,
Chambers Creek on 7 September, and Adelaide was reached on 23 September
1861.
In spite of the ill-success
of his efforts Stuart was still confident that he could cross the
continent. A fresh expedition was arranged which left Adelaide on 21
October 1861. Stuart, however, was knocked down by a rearing horse and was
unable to proceed for some weeks. He again had William Kekwick as second
officer and 10 others, but one man had to be discarded early in the
journey and another deserted. Marchant Springs was reached on 15 February,
the Centre was passed on 12 March and Attack Creek on 28 March. They came
to Sturt Plains on 15 April and Daly Waters on 28 May, which was made the
base for about a fortnight. Stuart had thought of making for the Gulf of
Carpentaria but found the country against him. Proceeding north he came to
the Roper River on 26 June. A course north-west was then set. Latitude 14
degrees was crossed on 8 July and they reached the Adelaide River two days
later. From here onwards the country was good and there was no lack of
water. On 24 July the Indian Ocean in Van Diemen Gulf was sighted to the
great joy of the party.
On 26 July Stuart began the
return journey. His horses were in poor condition and by 10 August he had
been obliged to abandon some of them. On 22 August Stuart was so weak that
he began to doubt whether he could reach Adelaide, and his eyesight was so
bad that he was unable to take observations. Attack Creek was crossed on
14 September. On 28 October Stuart tells us in his journal he was reduced
to a "perfect skeleton" and was sometimes so ill that he had to be carried
on a stretcher. They arrived at Mr Jarvis's station at Mount Margaret on
26 November, and after a few days' rest Stuart pushed on with three of his
party leaving the remainder under the charge of Kekwick to continue the
journey when the horses had sufficiently recovered. On 9 December 1862
Stuart arrived at Mount Stuart station and Adelaide on 18 December. In his
report Stuart especially commended Messrs Kekwick and Thring for the good
work they had done throughout the long and trying journey. The success of
the expedition was rewarded by a grant of £3500 of which Stuart received
£2000. He was granted the lease, rent free, of a large area in the north,
and was also awarded the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society. J.
W. Waterhouse, who had accompanied the expedition as naturalist, succeeded
in bringing back a collection of birds, shells and plants, though at one
stage it was feared that everything would have to be abandoned except
food. Stuart never recovered from the effects of the privations endured on
his journeys. Writing to Sturt in June 1863 he mentions that his
constitution is broken, and asks Sturt for his interest for a further
reward, but Sturt was unable to do anything. In April 1864 he proceeded to
England and died in London on 5 June 1866. There is a statue to his memory
in Victoria-square, Adelaide. Explorations in Australia. The Journals
of John McDouall Stuart, edited by W. Hardman, was published in 1864.
Stuart was a great explorer
of indomitable courage who never lost a man in any of his expeditions. He
had not Sturt's way with the aborigines, more than once he came in
conflict with them, and on some of his expeditions he was ill-equipped and
without scientific instruments. But his journey across Australia and back
in 1861 and 1862 was of great value in opening up the country, and remains
one of the epics of Australian exploration. |
